Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a wave power generating apparatus.
Description of the Related Art
In general, floating structures such as a buoy can be operated on the sea, and provided with equipment for observing weather and maritime conditions, such as the direction of the wind, the velocity of the wind, temperature, humidity, the temperature of the water, atmospheric pressure, the height of waves, the period of waves, and the direction of waves. Such floating structures serve very important roles in research, such as Tropical Ocean and Global Atmosphere program (TOGA) and World Ocean Circulation Experiment (WOCE), and are usefully applicable to maritime transport, fisheries, marine leisure, and the like.
Such floating structures may be divided into a moored floating structure using an anchor fixed to the seabed and a drifting floating structure moving with ocean currents.
The moored floating structure is kept in place by being anchored to the seabed. The anchor is connected to a floating part, such as a buoy, floating on the sea surface using a connecting means, such as chains. Accordingly, observation can be made in the state in which the floating part is secured such that the floating part does not drift.
In the moored floating structure, the mooring or anchoring operation, i.e. the operation of fixing the anchor to the deep seabed, requires very difficult works. In addition, the use of expensive equipment is required, consuming excessive construction costs. When the connecting means are broken or cut by a natural disaster, such as a hurricane, it is difficult to recover the floating part on which expensive equipment is mounted.
The drifting floating structure has the advantage of inexpensive installation costs. However, unlike the moored floating structure, the drifting floating structure performs observation while drifting on ocean currents without being fixed to a specific place. Therefore, it is difficult to precisely observe a specific area.
The moored floating structure or the drifting floating structure is additionally provided with a power supply, such as a solar generator or a battery, in order to supply electricity to the observation equipment. When a cloudy state lasts for a long time, solar power generation is impossible. Thus, it is difficult to reliably supply power to the observation equipment. In addition, a discharged battery must be replaced with a new one.
Although various types of wave power generation apparatuses have been disclosed, there is still urgent need for the development of a power generation apparatus able to reliably supply power such that precise observation is possible within a restricted area in the open sea without worries of loss or drifting, which would otherwise be caused when a connecting means is cut.